Remember Always
by sunny tuesday
Summary: Songfic to Sarah McLachlan's I Will Remember You. Hermione mourns the death of those who died in the final battle at graduation. My first tearjerker. Oneshot


**Remember Always**

_Featuring the song by Sarah McLachlan: _I Will Remember You

Hermione smiled at the crowd below. Dumbledore had asked her to sing a song at the graduation. Oddly enough, it was a muggle song, but Hermione had been glad to sing it. Butterflies flew around in her stomach. She feared she would choke on her own breath. Gripping her wand, she whispered the incantation. _"Sonorous_."

The music began to play. Hermione took a deep breath.

**I will remember you **

**Will you remember me? **

**Don't let your life pass you by **

**Weep not for the memories **

Weep not for the memories indeed, Hermione thought sadly looking around at the Grand Hall. Several witches and wizards were missing. Voldemort had been vanquished by Harry Potter, but he, along with others, had been killed mere moments after Lord Voldemort's downfall, and many more had died even before that. Hogwarts had suffered a great loss.

Hermione's heart had suffered a great loss. She had loved Harry- like a brother, and now he was dead.

**Remember the good times that we had? **

**I let them slip away from us when things got bad **

Hermione felt her eyes moisten. She couldn't control the feelings inside her. Her voice wavered as she sang the verse, but no one seemed to notice. They were crying too.

**How clearly I first saw you smilin' in the sun **

**Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one **

Hermione felt warmth well up inside her as her eyes met Blaise's. He smiled at her weakly, but she saw that he was crying too. Draco Malfoy had been his cousin and best friend. And now Draco Malfoy was dead.

Why is life so cruel? She asked herself. Why does it take those we love away from us?

**I will remember you **

**Will you remember me? **

The words took a new passion. Hermione felt her soul leap. She was crying now. She realized these words were a promise. These words were an oath and a begging truth.

**Don't let your life pass you by **

**Weep not for the memories **

But how could you not weep? She wondered. How could you not cry knowing your best friend is dead?

**I'm so tired but I can't sleep **

**Standin' on the edge of something much too deep **

Hermione remembered the nights after the final battle. She remembered meeting Harry and Ron for the first time. She remembered kissing Blaise in the rain the first time. She remembered how much Ron had loved Pansy Parkinson, and how much Harry had loved Ginny… Oh, poor Gin, Hermione cried for her best friend. While Hermione's love had survived, Ginny's had not. Hermione ached for her.

Life is co cruel.

**Its funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word **

**We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard **

Oh not true. Hermione was belting out the song by now.

She was remembering third year, when she and Harry had used the time turner to help Sirius Black escape, along with Buckbeak. She had been far more daring than ever in that year, and Ron had never stopped pointing it out… How she would miss Ron…

Life is so cruel…**  
**

**But I will remember you **

**Will you remember me? **

**Don't let your life pass you by **

**Weep not for the memories **

Hermione recalled the Department of Mysteries. Even the memories of that event were blurred, but all Hermione could remember of it was the ride there. Riding the threstrals had been most possibly the craziest thing she'd ever done. At least now she could actually see the animal…

Life is so cruel.

**I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to loose **

**Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose **

**Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night **

**You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light **

Ginny had been afraid to love Harry, Hermione remembered. Ginny had always told me that she was afraid to get close to Harry, for fear he may die. But Hermione had convinced her to love while she could, so she wouldn't regret it later one. Ginny had agreed…

No one knew but Hermione and Harry that Ginny was pregnant with Harry's child. Luckily, Albus Dumbledore was allowing her to stay at school. Harry had given her the light, the light of hope, the light of a child…

Harry's past had indeed never let him choose. And now he would never get to have a future…

Life is so cruel.

**And I will remember you **

**Will you remember me? **

**Don't let your life pass you by **

**Weep not for the memories **

I will remember you all, Hermione promised.

**And I will remember you **

**Will you remember me? **

**Don't let your life pass you by **

**Weep not for the memories **

**Weep not for the memories**

The song ended. Albus Dumbledore stood up.

"_Quietus," _Hermione said into her wand, and her voice reached its normal volume.

"Hermione, I would like you to read this aloud," he told her, blue eyes filled with tears, as he handed her a piece of parchment. Hermione nodded and began after saying the incantation for a volume enhancer.

"Thank you. So many have gone and I feel that today we should honor them. Today we should speak their name, and celebrate their victory. Without their ultimate sacrifice, we may not be here today."

Hermione's voice shook. She was going to cry. She didn't stop the tears from falling.

"Colin Creevey, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Dean Thomas, Draco Malfoy, Minerva McGonagall, and Cornelius Fudge, all killed on the twentieth of April. Molly Weasley, Seamus Finnigan, Fleur Weasley, Percy Weasley, Penelope Clearwater-Weasley, Susan Bones, and Lee Jordan, all killed the twenty-second of April. Ron Weasley, George Weasley, Bill Weasley, Pansy Parkinson, and Severus Snape, all killed the twenty-seventh of April. After a glorious attack, the following died after Voldemort was defeated on the thirtieth of April: Fred Weasley, Miranda Smith, Nymphadora Tonks, Cho Chang, and Harry Potter."

Hermione sobbed in front of them… So many deaths…

"We honor them today, and we will honor them for the rest of our lives. We thank them. And hopefully they are watching us now, because I have one more thing to say."

Hermione dropped the parchment onto the stage. "_We will remember you_." And the crowd applauded.

Hermione looked up at the decorations. Only black hung from the ceiling, and Hermione remembered fourth year, whenCedric had died.

Life will go on, she thought, without them. They will be remembered, but they will not be there.

Happiness may only come with forgetting; she remembered what her mother used to say.

But Hermione knew that was wrong.

Happiness only came when you _remembered._

**forbiddenlight**


End file.
